Each year in the United States and its protectorates, approximately 100 firefighters are killed while on duty and tens of thousands more are injured. Many of the deaths and injuries are related to firefighters engaged in aerial and ladder operations on a fire truck (often referred to as a “ladder truck”, “ladder truck fire engine”, “fire engine”, or other similar moniker) as they are ascending and/or descending on the ladder of the truck. Such ladders are often as much as 100 feet long, and in the case of aerials, are supported entirely at their base (as opposed to a traditional “extension ladder” which leans against a structure such as a building). A firefighter ascending or descending an aerial ladder or other ladder is typically wearing 70-80 pounds of equipment and carrying a firefighter tool in one hand such as an axe. This makes the ladder work difficult and extremely dangerous. Adding to the ladder work difficulty, a firefighter is typically wearing standard issue bulky boots that are not custom fit to the foot and gloves that do not have grips to grab the ladder. Compounding the situation of ascending or descending on a ladder even further, is the vertical nature of the ladder itself, and the natural elements that must be faced during aerial operations including rain, ice, darkness, heat from a fire and the like. When working in darkness, there is no lighting on the rungs of the ladder. In addition, occasionally there may not be rung alignment between sections of a ladder, increasing the potential for a firefighter to misstep. Furthermore, ladders typically thin out toward the top of the ladder, and the width of the ladder is also decreased because of instruments such as stretchers, etc. stored on the sides of the ladder. This makes it even more difficult for a firefighter to grab the sides of the ladder while climbing. Also, a firefighter may be involved in a rescue operation and carrying a person or body on upon descending the ladder. An inadvertent slip can easily result in a fall from the ladder and may cost the firefighter his or her life, or result in grave injury.
A few real-life examples of such falls are discussed below, with the names of the firefighters removed to protect their identities.
Example 1: Mr. F was at a fire in a largely abandoned clock factory when he fell from a fully extended aerial ladder 25 feet to the concrete below, landing on his left shoulder. He hit the ground and bounced up like a rubber ball. He separated his shoulder and was out for two and a half months, but miraculously lived to fight fires another day. If he had fallen at a slightly different angle, he likely would have been paralyzed or even killed. Although the firefighter in this example fully recovered with relatively minor injuries, this type of fall is more often catastrophic.
Example 2: A firefighter fell from the top of an aerial ladder and died when he was trying to reach the roof of a fire building. He was carrying too much equipment and was attempting to get off the aerial ladder at the wrong location.
Example 3: A 22 year old female firefighter trainee fell 28 feet from a cat ladder to the concrete on the second day of her initial training at the Fire Training Academy. She was climbing a cat ladder on a training tower in full turnout gear (i.e. jumpsuit, firehood, socks, boots, turnout coat and pants, helmet, gloves, and a spanner belt around her waist from which hung a fire axe) late in the afternoon near the end of the second full day of training. No water was being used in the training, therefore all surfaces were dry. The weather was partly cloudy, humid and 67 degrees at the time of the incident. The police report indicates that witnesses saw the victim stop and put her arms around the ladder, then fall backward off the ladder, head and shoulder hitting the concrete below. No one heard the victim say anything prior to, or during, the fall. The victim was not carrying anything during the climb.
Although numerous safety devices for ladder climbers are known, such devices typically are not practical for use in connection with the portable, telescoping/extension and/or aerial type ladders used by firefighters. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,797 discloses a safety clamp on a workman's belt that is slideably engaged with a cable or rod that is in proximity to a ladder affixed to a structure such as a stack, tank or tower. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,696 discloses a ladder climbing safety clamp that cooperates with a cable or rod that, along with the ladder, is affixed to a structure. Both of these devices are fixed-length structures that are connected to the building being climbed. Making such a connection is time consuming, and typically not possible to accomplish during a fire. Moreover, the height of the ladders and the safety cables of the two above-described devices are a constant length. The above-described safety devices do not work with ladders of varying length such as the telescoping/extension and/or aerial ladders used by firefighters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,214 discloses a device wherein a long stroke single action fluid cylinder is used in connection with a system of pulleys on an oil derrick to control the length of a safety line attached to a climber. The length of the line in that device corresponds to the height of a single climber. Such a device is not suitable for use in connection with a ladder used by firefighters, on which several firefighters will often climb at once. Moreover, the height of the ladder and the safety cable of the above-described device are a constant length. The above-described safety device does not work with ladders of varying length such as the telescoping/extension and/or aerial ladders used by firefighters.
While all of the prior art devices described above may be useful to protect the safety of a ladder climber in certain controlled situations, it is desirable to provide a safety device suitable for use with telescoping/extension and/or aerial ladders, such as those mounted to fire trucks.
A specialized ladder truck apparatus that is often utilized by firefighters to allow the firefighters and/or casualties to gain access or egress at height, provide a high-level water point for firefighting, and provide a working platform (in some cases) from which firefighters can perform tasks, is known as a Turntable Ladder (“TL”). The name is derived from the fact that the large, usually telescopic, ladder is mounted on a turntable on the front or back of the truck. The turntable allows the ladder to pivot around a stable base, which in turn allows for a much greater ladder length to be utilized safely. Often a TL will include a bucket or other working platform at the top of the ladder, while another TL apparatus that is often utilized by firefighters and which does not include any type of working platform is known as a stick ladder. A stick ladder is an aerial ladder that extends from a fixed location, or from a turntable, on a fire truck. The typical stick ladder is similar to the TL ladder, except it does not include a bucket or platform at the top of the ladder. These are but a few of the several variations of ladders used on fire trucks.
In large cities, urban environments and even more rural areas with houses and other buildings higher than one story, telescoping/extension and/or aerial ladders have been proven very useful in transporting equipment, rescuing occupants, fighting fires, accessing the roof of a building, ventilating a building and providing access to window of burning structures. Although many telescoping/extension and/or aerial ladders contain side rails for fall safety of people climbing up and/or down, such rails still do not eliminate falls and often the rails are not accessible due to gear being stowed on the ladder. As is discussed above, firefighters typically are wearing a lot of large bulking protective gear, including large gloves and boots, which make it difficult to gain good traction and grip on the ladder. In addition, the typical firefighter helmet is large and heavy and makes it difficult to move the head around. Moreover, firefighters often may be tired, injured and/or under considerable stress, depending upon the specific situation, as they are ascending/descending the ladder. Adding even more difficulty, firefighters often are carrying additional equipment up or down the ladders as they climb, leaving them with only one hand to grasp the rungs. The ladder is often swaying back and forth, often is wet from the water used to fight the fire, and in the case of low temperatures, ice may be present making the ladder slippery. As a firefighter transitions in his/her climb from one extension to another, there is even greater opportunity to miss footing the rung securely. In addition, the more severe the angle of the ladder (i.e. the more vertical the ladder's position), the less the side rails serve to arrest any type of fall. Also, a firefighter may be involved in a rescue operation and carrying a person or body upon descending the ladder. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a ladder safety device, systems and methods that arrest falls in all situations encountered by firefighters and other ladder climbers.
To better equip firefighters to climb safely in spite of all the above-described hazards, many firefighters go through a variety of training and conditioning exercises. Nevertheless, as is discussed above, a mere slip can quickly result in a catastrophic outcome, even during a training exercise. Moreover, it is estimated that 87% of fire departments in the U.S., protecting 38% of the population, are made up of volunteer or mostly volunteer fire fighters. Such volunteers or “part-time” fire fighters are often even more susceptible to slip and fall from a ladder due to less training and experience on ladder operations. No matter the level of experience or training of firefighter or climber, a single slip can easily occur and in such case a resulting fall can be catastrophic. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a ladder safety device, systems and methods that arrest falls in all situations encountered by firefighters and other ladder climbers regardless of a climber's training or experience.